A friend of mine was asking about quiche recipes the other day and I had mentioned that I had a perfect one for her. She has the same affliction as Ms Cocktail in that there are many items that just aren’t available in their cooking pantry. They aren’t hardcore vegetarians but I would say that half of the culinary world has been closed off to them.

That being said, there are a whole bunch of things that can be made without resorting to meat as a protein. One of them is a quiche. Now whoever that fool was that said, “real men don’t eat quiche” is a friggen idiot. A well done quiche is an excellent light lunch, side during diner and it works just great as a breakfast. Even though I haven’t paired the two, I’d be willing to bet that a certain rose’ from a certain winery would make a delightful way to start the day.

More...

OK, I’ll be the first to admit that I am not a great baker. You’ll notice that most of the things i cook revolve around grilling and otherwise applying fire to stuff. I can and will work with an oven when I have to and I’m more than serviceable on the stove top.  However, when it comes to baking, especially desserts, I tend to shy away from it.

However, since my next post is going to be about making a quiche, I figured that I might as well make a post first about a pie crust. This recipe is a 50/50 mix of white and wheat flour and it works well for both quiche and desserts such as apple pie. If your pie calls for a tops crust, this recipe can be doubled.

More...

Our second course arrived after a nice break for pleasant conversation. Now, I have been known to make a pretty mean macaroni and cheese. In fact, I’ve put the recipe up here for everyone to enjoy. I actually dress it up a bit and make it presentable for polite company. Patrick O’Connell takes it one step further and puts a bowtie and cummerbund on it, teaches it to dance the tango and allows it to mingle with the most refined people on the planet.

More...

I had mentioned that Patrick O’Connell’s sense of whimsy tends to come through in the food he prepares and that is showcased in the First Course selections that Ms  Cocktail and I made. Ms Cocktail has a penchant for oysters so she selected the Quartet of Maine Oyster Slurpees while I went only a touch more mainstream with the Carpaccio of Herb Crusted Baby Lamb with Caesar Salad Ice Cream.

I know, you just did a double take at my selection with the thought of Caesar Salad Ice Cream. More...

Dinner at the Inn at Little Washington is definitely not for someone who is in a rush. It is a time to relax and savor the exquisitely prepared dishes along with the time spent with that special someone. Patrick O’Connell finds a way to make this experience very special while still maintaining a sense of fun. Through out the entire meal, one is constantly reminded in many subtle ways that one should not take this, and life in general, too seriously.

More...

Ms Cocktail and I decided to treat ourselves to something special for our wedding anniversary this year (21 in case anyone is counting). We decided to spend an evening at The Inn at Little Washington. Nestled in the very center of the little town of Washington, VA, the place is an experience like no other.

Your experience starts at the very moment that you arrive at the front door. Your vehicle and luggage head in separate directions as you are politely asked your name. This is the one and only time that will happen during your entire stay. For the rest of your time here, the staff will know your name even if they haven’t personally met you before.

More...

Have you ever wanted to be treated like a king or a queen for an evening? Have you ever wanted to go to a place where the people that work there know what you want before you even ask for it? Have you ever wanted to go to some ultra high class place and not be made to feel as if you don’t belong there? That you are just as good as anyone that has ever walked through the doors there? If this is the kind of experience that you’re looking for, then the Inn at Little Washington is the place for you.

Washington, VA has changed little since it was surveyed and the streets were laid out by a 17 year old George Washington back in 1749. However, it wasn’t until 1795 that the population reached the requisite number of 200 and it was officially established as a town. The streets may be paved and electricity may be run, but this quaint little hamlet (the population has since dipped back below the 200 mark) still carries all the character one would expect from a place tucked away in a quiet corner of Rappahannock County.

More...

I have some pretty damn good friends. Take Saturday for example. My wife and her friend went off to a festival being held at one of the wineries here in Northern Virginia.  I was working at Chrysalis Vineyards but because of a festival being held at another winery, our attendance was down a bit. I was afforded the opportunity to cut my day a bit short which I promptly took advantage of.

After several missed phone calls and other forms of botched communication, it was decided that I would get together with the husband of the wife Ms Cocktail was partying with and we’d all have dinner together. The women had suggested burgers and dogs on the grill, but Lucas and I came up with a slightly more complicated plan. Grilled salmon with a green goddess dressing, grilled asparagus in a balsamic reduction and baked rice.

More...

I told you all that I had been working on a recipe for a cooking competition and here it is. Growing up in New England, I was surrounded by seafood. When I married into a family that contained several fishermen, coming up with new and delightful ways of preparing seafood became very important. I developed this dish as a way to marry both New England seafood and something else I've very fond of, spicy food. This dish compliments the natural sweetness of the bay scallops with a bit of heat from the blend of peppers.

More...

I don’t know about where you live, but right now it is scorching hot where I am. It is over 100 degrees and it’s going to be this way for the next several days. When it gets this hot I don’t feel like eating a real lot or at least I don’t feel like a really heavy meal. It just so happened that my mother in law happened to toss a recipe at us the other day that very much fits the requirements of a super hot summer afternoon meal. It is a watermelon-arugula salad.

I know for many people that sounds a little off putting, especially since it is mixed with greens and actually has an oil and vinegar dressing, but this is exactly what the doctor order for hot day like this. The recipe needed a bit of tweaking until everything was in proper balance, but now that it is, this makes for a perfect summer afternoon meal. Especially if it is paired with a nice glass of a light white wine.

More...